Celebrity Travel Addicts: Caroline and Craig from Y Travel Blog

In today’s Celebrity Travel Addicts Q&A we interview Caroline and Craig Makepeace from Y Travel Blog. This adventurous duo have been traveling non stop with their two daughters. They have lived in 5 countries and explored 52 countries! Check out her top 5 suggestions for Broome, Australia and where their off to next!

How did your passion for travel get started?

I didn’t travel much as a child, but I had parents who were curious and passionate about the world. That sparked my curiosity to experience life as much as possible and to explore far and wide. When my older brother was 20 he moved to London and traveled through Europe. His stories sounded so thrilling to me that I knew that had to be my path once I graduated from University. And true to that desire, I left three days after I received my degree. That was in 1997 and I’ve been traveling ever since.

How many days/weeks are you traveling in any given year? What are the types of places do you like to visit?

At this time, I am traveling full-time. We do plan rest days in between our travels but they usually don’t last for more than a week before we move again.

Before I had my own portable business, I would have travelled at least two months of every year. However, I worked in other countries so each day felt like a new travel adventure.

I love the outdoors, so anywhere that has outstanding natural beauty and things to do in nature. Now that we have young children, we tend to focus on road trips and destinations that are easier for us to manage the multiple hats we wear.

What is it that you want audiences to gain/ learn from your work?

That travel is something they can fit into their life no matter their circumstances or desired lifestyle. We like to show them how to unplug from the chaos of a life that doesn’t serve their values and desire – that is the should’s, have to’s and musts – so they can reconnect to and follow their bliss. Within that is our belief that if you travel more, you create better memories.

I see you just started your 3 years American road trip. What’s the itinerary and what are you most excited about?

Our itinerary is very flexible. In fact, I’m typing this in the car as we move to our next destination – something we only chose one hour into our journey!!

We will be mostly East Coast based for the remainder of this year moving over to the mountain and south-west states next summer.

We’re currently having a blast in Tennessee which I was most excited about. I love the rich musical history of this area. My daughter is most excited about Orlando and Harry Potter World.

One region we’re very excited about is the Pacific Northwest. We’ve heard so many great things about it and it is not a place we have visited yet.

Name your top three destinations you’ve traveled?

I’m a little biased in saying Australia as it’s my home country. However, we travelled the country extensively for three years so can confidently say it is truly amazing.

South Africa is also another favourite destination. It’s stunning and you can’t beat seeing animals in the wild like you do there!. And we do love the diversity and cultural richness of the USA.

Give us your ‘Top 5’ list for one of these destinations, like a mini-guide or to-do list of sorts:

Have lunch (the pizza is amazing) and get lost in the views from the beer garden at the Mangrove Hotel. You have the deep red earth, the dark green mangroves and the sparkling turquoise water of Roebuck Bay. It’s possibly the most vibrant and awe inspiring views in the world.

Watch the sunset on Cable Beach – take your pick: picnic on the beach, on top of a camel ambling down the beach, with cocktails at the Cable Beach Sunset Bar, or with the locals and cheap drinks at the Broome Surf Club.

Sit under the shady trees in the beer garden of Matso’s Brewery with an ice cold ginger or mango beer. It’s one of the best breweries in the country.

Pull up a deck chair or a patch of grass beside the tropical garden and watch a movie at Sun Pictures the world’s oldest operating open-air picture gardens.

How many countries have you visited so far?

About 56. I say about as I’m not great at counting them. I’d rather go deep and wide than skim the surface.

Your top three favorite cuisines?

Thai, Mediterranean, and contemporary Australian.

Favorite restaurant in the world?

Oh I don’t think I can answer this. I’ve been to so many and not really a restaurant connoisseur! Let’s say the Mangrove Hotel as mentioned above, just because of the views, the live music, and the delicious venison chorizo, slow cooked cherry tomato and goats cheese pizza.

Your favorite travel movie?

Favorite international airport?

City with the friendliest people?

Raleigh, North Carolina. I’ve never experienced anywhere else quite like the friendliness there.

Your favorite traveling companion?

Myself. It’s the only one you’ve got to learn to love being with.

Best way you kill time while traveling?

Reading and journaling. With kids, I don’t get much of a chance to kill time anymore!

What is the most exotic place your career has taken you?

We worked on a pearl farm in the Kimberley, Western Australia. The nearest road was 180km away so we had to catch a sea plane to work from Broome. We worked and stayed on camp for 3-5 weeks at a time going out on the boats to scrape barnacles off the pearl shell. It was hard work but we were in one of the most pristine and beautiful areas in Australia. A place where tourists would pay $1000 a night to visit on a cruise.

We had dingoes and snakes cruising around our campsite and green tree frogs in our toilet. The ocean was filled with sharks, fish, whales and crocodiles. Surrounding the camp were hiking trails, Aboriginal rock art, and waterholes for swimming. It was an amazing experience!

Your best bit of travel advice for someone who is about to embark on a life of travel?

Believe in the magic of possibilities. Don’t tell yourself all the reasons you can’t. Know what you want and ask, “How can I make this happen?” and then stay open to the possibility of it happening in the weirdest and most unplanned and unexplained ways.

What are 4 things you could never travel without?

An open mind. My journal. A scarf. Bottle of water.

What is your ultimate dream destination?

The Maldives.

Your favorite travel quote?

“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” – Anonymous

Where to next?

From Nashville to Asheville – taking in the Smoky Mountains!

Bio:

Caroline Makepeace is the co-founder of ytravelblog.com, one of the world’s biggest travel blogs, with her husband, Craig. They have created a travel planning toolkit to help people unplug from the chaos, follow their bliss, and travel more to create better memories. They are currently road tripping across the USA with their two daughters to uncover the Unplugged secrets. When not travelling and writing about it, you can find her swinging in a beach hammock at sunset to the tunes of Jack Johnson, or buying another crystal to meditate with at the local market. You can connect with them on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.